


what it takes

by xylodemon



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Comment Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-06
Updated: 2012-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 11:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xylodemon/pseuds/xylodemon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek makes a low, irritated noise in the back of his throat. “You still don’t get it. This isn’t about you and me. It isn’t about packs. You’re a werewolf. That’s all that matters to them.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	what it takes

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this photo](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_melm9tdQSU1ri86hho2_500.jpg) of Hoechlin and Posey looking like they just lost a fight. Originally posted on [my Tumblr](http://xylodemon.tumblr.com/post/37330672420/we-need-to-go-derek-says-his-voice-cracked).

"We need to go," Derek says, his voice cracked open, raw. He straightens with a grunt, rolling his shoulders and neck; his shirt is slashed under the arm, the edges frayed and wet with blood, and the bruises on his face are livid, purple-black and healing slowly. "They'll be back."

The Hale house creaks behind them, sighing into a cold gust of wind, and Scott stares down at the sagging, splintered porch, the dark pool of blood spreading beneath his feet. His thigh is laid open, almost to the bone. His ankle feels prickly and tight, like he's healing a fracture, and his side aches in sudden flashes, pain digging up and under his ribs if he moves too quickly, breathes too deep. There had only been two of them, a set of twins with bright eyes and knife-sharp smiles; they'd worked in eerie tandem, moving with confidence and speed, a kind of easy grace that made Scott feel clumsy and slow.

"Scott."

"Yeah, okay," Scott says. His jaw hurts, and his mouth tastes sour, like pennies and raw meat. He spits out a mouthful of blood, worries a gap in his gums with the tip of his tongue. "Can we regrow teeth?"

"Eventually. Just give it a couple hours." Derek rubs his hand over his face, streaking dirt across his cheek, down the bridge of his nose. "Our bodies prioritize things -- organs and bone first, then muscle and skin, then teeth and nails." He pauses, frowning, shifting his weight from foot to foot like he's testing the strength of his legs. "Let's go."

Pain flares in Scott's thigh as he pushes away from the wall; his knee buckles without warning, and he pitches forward, stumbling right into Derek. Derek catches Scott under the arm, his fingers bruising and rough, and Scott feels claws against his skin as he tries to move away, a quiet warning he doesn't appreciate.

"Stop it. You're not -- I'm not in your pack, and I don't want to be." He tries to pull out of Derek's grasp again, but Derek is stronger than him, always will be in a way Scott finds infuriating. "I wouldn't be here now if they hadn't threatened Stiles."

Derek makes a low, irritated noise in the back of his throat. "You still don't get it. This isn't about you and me. It isn't about packs. You're a werewolf. That's all that matters to them."

"What do they want? Territory?"

"They want order," Derek says, his mouth twisting at the corners. "They want stability. They want us to quit drawing the attention of hunters."

"They think we're trouble."

"Well, things haven't exactly been calm around here."

Scott sighs, wincing as fresh pain throbs along his ribs. "Can't we explain it to them? Tell them that Jackson wasn't -- "

"It isn't only about Jackson," Derek says, shaking his head. His bruises have finally started to fade; he mostly looks tired now, pale and worn thin. "Erica and Boyd left. Peter killed five people, and this territory has had three alphas in eight months. That says we're unstable. The alpha pack doesn't care why, they just want it to stop. Killing us is the easiest way."

"What about Stiles?" Scott asks, his chest tight. He feels like he's going to be sick. "What about Allison?"

"Allison is probably safe because of her family, but Stiles -- they'll hurt him, if that's what it takes."

"But he's not -- he isn't one of us."

"He knows about us, and he's important to you." The house rattles with another gust of wind; Derek tugs on Scott's arm, herding him down the steps. "If you try to hide from this, they'll attack him just to draw you out."

Scott swallows the bile spreading on the back of his tongue, tries not to think about Stiles beaten or bloody or bitten. "All right, fine. I'll work with you on this, but that -- I'm still not part of your pack."

"If that's how you want it." Derek pauses, narrowing his eyes as something rustles near the tree line. "We really need to go. Can you walk yet?"

"Kind of."

"Come on," Derek says, hooking Scott's arm around his shoulders. "I'll give you a ride."


End file.
